Freedom
by TayaHearts
Summary: Maka is a ward at the infamous Parnevik Hall, a prison for her kind. Then a very strange stranger makes an interesting proposition and she finds herself on an adventure across the world to get to the only safe zone: the fabled Death City.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay here's my first Soul Eater fanfiction! It's AU but I warn you in advance, it does contain spoilers! This follows manga line rather than anime line (which they really aren't very different, the manga just continues past where the anime ends). This is different than my usual fanfics. Mine are always rated M and deal with an OC, and this is neither! Also I've been experimenting with writing in present tense, and I rather liked the way it turned out! Anyway, sorry for the long intro! Please read and review! **

Maka Albarn blames everything - and rightly so - on her good-for-nothing excuse of a father. She thinks these things as she lies on her narrow cot and watches the moonlight creep ever further across the stone floor. She traces the events that led her to this moment, and always her father is to blame.

If it weren't for Spirit Albarn's habit of chasing anything with breasts, Maka's mother, Kami, wouldn't have divorced him. If it weren't for the divorce - which she couldn't deny was justified - they would never have gotten involved with that scummy lawyer. If it weren't for the scummy lawyer, they never would have been reported. If they'd never been reported, they would never have been arrested. If they hadn't been arrested, Spirit and Kami wouldn't have been taken to some unknown prison somewhere in Africa and Maka wouldn't have been declared a ward of the state. If Maka had never become a ward, she certainly wouldn't be at Parnevik Hall. So, she concludes yet again, it is all her father's fault.

She rolls over on the narrow bed, unable to sleep even though it must be sometime in the early morning by now. The room is small and rectangular, with stone walls and a stone floor. Parnevik Hall was at one time a castle, and it hadn't been renovated before it was made into the "reform school" it is today.

Maka gets out of bed, resigned to another sleepless night, and walks over to the window. The windows in her room are very narrow, hardly wide enough for her to get through if they could open, which they can't. She assumes all the student rooms have windows like these. It is no secret that the staff fears the students. They are treated like criminals with no rights, like things sub-human even.

She sighs and sits at her window, watching the sun rise over the eastern horizon.

When the bright rays of sunlight finally stream over the spires and domes of the ancient city, Maka dresses in her pressed school uniform. She hates the pleated skirt, sweater vest, tie and blazer they all wear, but fashion liberty is not practiced at Parnevik Hall.

Though their cells are really seventeenth-century bedrooms, the wards are locked in every night like their rooms are cells. After all, it is more of a prison than a school. So Maka is waiting patiently and, exactly eight minutes past seven, the lock clicks and the door is opened from the outside.

It is one of the "nurses." They are called nurses even though they are really prison guards; everyone knows this but it does not need to be said. They are dressed in little white uniforms and ugly white shoes but they carry batons and tazers and handguns at their belts. They paste derogatory smiles on their faces, like they feel sorry for the wards, but behind their fake smiles is the hatred. So much hatred. Until her arrest, Maka hadn't known such hatred existed.

The nurse who opens the door - Eruka, Maka thinks her name is - steps aside so Maka can come out. Maka is a good girl; the nurses never have problems with her.

The wards occupying the rooms to the right of Maka's are already unlocked, standing outside their rooms solemnly with their hands folded, wearing their Parnevik Hall uniforms. The nurses continue along the hallway to the left, unlocking doors while the wards wait patiently. Then they are moved off to breakfast in the dining hall.

Breakfast is a silent affair; they aren't allowed to speak. They sit at long rectangular tables, group one on one side of what had once been a grand dining hall with vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows and group two on the other. Their breakfast is meager and there is only water to drink - milk and orange juice seem to be foreign concepts at the school.

Maka sits between a pink-haired German girl named Kim and a quiet, smug blond who goes by the name of Anya. Even though they are in her work group, she doesn't know much about them. Everyone mostly keeps to themselves; it's better that way, they all know.

When the forty-five minutes alloted for breakfast have passed, they all stand up - almost as one - and proceed towards their work assignments.

Maka's group, which, besides Kim and Anya, includes Meme, is scheduled for the punishment room today. The punishment room had probably been a torture chamber centuries ago, but now Dr. Medusa uses it to punish the wards she deems unruly or maladjusted. And Dr. Medusa doesn't need an excuse to punish someone.

They have a particularly nasty nurse as their overseer, who unlocks the door and lets them into the dimly-lit punishment room. Even Maka, who has never been particularly weak-constituted, is glad the lights are dim enough that the far corners of the room are hidden in shadow. Like the rest of the castle, the punishment room is constructed of stone and heavy wooden beams. It is dank and dark down there, and there is always a draft though there are no windows. Though all of the torture devices have long since been removed, the stench of burning flesh and blood cannot be erased.

The nurse - he calls himself Free, though Maka is sure that can't be his real name - stands by the door with his arms crossed and an unpleasant leer on his face. Maka doesn't understand why he is allowed to oversee the girls' group. The lecherous, self-important look on his face is unmistakeable.

The girls silently set about their tasks, sharing looks from beneath their fringes when Free isn't looking. Though they are from all different cultures and they are many different ages and though they do not speak often, they always share this.

When Eruka comes to speak with Free urgently in the hall, he doesn't hesitate to slip out and leave them unguarded. It is as if a collective sigh is released and the four of them sit back on their heels, suddenly relaxed.

"Kim," Meme, the French girl with the impressive breasts and the horrible memory, says curiously. "What happened to your arm?"

Kim, who is a year younger, looks down at her arm, which is currently bound in a sling. Maka has heard that Kim was sent to the punishment room earlier in the week, though she doesn't know what for. When it comes to Dr. Medusa, anything is possible, Maka knows.

"It's fine," Kim says shortly, though it is obvious that it is not fine.

Anya, who is hot-headed and more than a little full of herself, seems to think along the same lines. "It's not fine," she snaps, loud enough that they all glance at the door in case Free comes back, but he doesn't. "That woman is a _monster_! That she should be allowed to run a school-!" She stops, too angry to continue.

It is Meme, with her short blond hair, who speaks next. Her usually sweet voice is bitter now. "A school," she laughs. "What a joke."

The others say nothing, because they all know it is true. Even the outsiders know that Parnevik Hall is nothing more than a prison for the oddities of nature.

Anya looks like she's going to say more, probably angry, bitter words, but the door to the punishment room opens and Free comes back in. Any further conversation is no longer an option. They return to their work, silent and obedient because it is the only way to survive.

After their morning chores are completed and they have passed the inspection of Dr. Arachne, Dr. Medusa's partner and older sister, the wards are allowed to go to lunch. This is a more carefree meal than breakfast in that, even though they are still confined to their assigned seats, they are at least allowed to talk. The doctors and all but two of the nurses take their meal in the staff room, leaving two nurses to guard the door and keep the wards from getting too rowdy.

From her place between Kim and Anya, Maka reaches for a roll, though there is no butter or jam. Across the table, Black Star is saying something that catches her attention. "-and so the field trip is this afternoon."

"The field trip is this afternoon?" Ox asks, leaning forward to peer around Kilik. "So pest control is today, huh?"

Though the castle seems to fail many health codes, even Dr. Medusa can't wheedle her way through the pest control issue. So, once a year, the entire castle is undertaken at once. It is the one day a year that the wards are allowed outside the high walls of their prison, heavily supervised of course. Even though all they do is take a tour of the historic city in which they live - albeit unwillingly - they are all excited for a chance to get out for a few hours.

They are all assembled in the front hall, surrounded by the smiling nurses should anyone attempt escape, before they are allowed out. Dr. Medusa, Dr. Arachne, and the youngest sister Dr. Shaula stalk up and down the lines of students, seventeen total, checking to make sure their uniforms are fit for the public eye.

While their field trip is exciting to the wards, it is also humiliating. The townspeople come out of their houses to gawk at the procession of "students," like it is a parade of circus freaks instead of imprisoned children. They are objects of derision, of fear. Sometimes even Maka, who is very strong in her convictions, thinks that perhaps they are as bad as everyone says they are.

When the doctors finally decide that everyone is presentable, the nurses lead them outside in two straight rows, one of group one and one of group two. Medusa, Arachne, and Shaula stay behind to oversee the pest control, trusting their well-trained nurses to keep the wards properly in line.

It is summer, though today is the only day the seasons make any difference to the wards. Even though they march in two straight lines and do not speak, it is a day to be enjoyed, even if their freedom is short-lived. The sun is a bright ball in a cloudless sky, and the breeze coming off the harbor to the west is refreshing.

The city Parnevik Hall is located in is ancient and historic. Centuries ago it was a sprawling metropolis made of ancient stone buildings and domed cathedrals and public baths. Now the modern buildings, built of concrete and chrome, are situated between these crumbling architectural masterpieces. Though it is a small city, there are always tourists during the summer. The tourists stop in their tracks to watch the wards, as though they are simply another attraction of the city.

They have been on their field trip for three hours before they turn to loop back towards the castle. Maka has become used to the frightened whispers, the sneers, the glares, the curiosity. She tries to ignore these when she feels something quite unlike derision and she turns in surprise to see who is staring.

It is a boy, but he is unlike anyone Maka has ever seen before. He is tall and lean, with messy white hair and blood-red eyes and sharp teeth like a shark's. His expression is not frightened or angry or disgusted, simply curious and somehow calculating. But what strikes Maka most about this boy is that there is a strange jerking sensation somewhere deep within her that not even she, who thinks she knows everything there is to know, can explain.

Then the boy's red eyes lock on hers, emerald and weary, and that jerking sensation becomes a hundred times stronger. She looks away quickly, down at her feet, her heart pounding. What on earth was that?

Then they are moving on, as the nurses leading them never give them a moment to rest, and Maka keeps her eyes firmly trained on Meme's back until they are past the street with the concert hall and the grand opera house. She is baffled, something that has never happened to her. She tries unsuccessfully to put the strange boy out of her mind, but when the wards return to Parnevik Hall, he is still at the forefront.

"Are you alright, Maka?" Kim asks over dinner, another meal where they are allowed to talk. "You seem...distracted."

Maka, who has indeed been distracted, looks up from her bland food and forces a smile. "Eh, I'm fine. As well as can be expected in here." At this she receives a stern look from a nurse who overhears her, so she ducks her head and stays silent for the remainder of the meal.

When she is in bed that evening, when the stars have come out and frame the moon in the velvet blackness over the ancient city, she thinks of nothing save the strange boy. Even when she sleeps, he is there. He is calling out to her, reaching for her.

And then her eyes flutter open. It isn't a dream after all. The boy is there, outside her window that will not open even though it is on the third floor and it is a very precarious drop to the ground below. Maka flings back her itchy woolen blankets and rushes to the window, only vaguely aware that she is in her institute-issued pajamas. She gapes at him through the thick glass, wondering how he has gotten onto the narrow ledge outside her window, why he is there in the first place.

"Stand back!" he mouths through the window. She barely hears his voice through the thick glass, but she does as she is told. As she watches, the strange boy's arm transforms into a vicious-looking blade and, with a growl of determination, the boy makes a jab at the window. Even the thick glass is no match for his bladed arm, and it shatters into billions of tiny pieces around Maka's bare feet. And then the boy is clambering through the window with his odd hair and eyes and even odder teeth.

Even though there are many things she wants to say to this boy, to ask him, the thing she blurts out first is, "You're one of us!"

He nods sarcastically, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. "Yeah. Way to figure that one out." His voice is deep and resonant, and somehow Maka is attracted to it even though she has never been attracted to anyone before.

"What are you doing here?" she demands fiercely, using her arms to gesticulate wildly and display her unease. "You were free! Why would you come to the most dangerous place in the world for children of our kind?"

"I came to bust you out," he answers, his voice thick with disbelief. She must not be reacting the way he expected.

She stops, allowing her flailing arms to fall limply by her sides. "What? Why would you do that?"

"I have a proposition for you," he changes tact, crunching over the broken glass and coming further into the room. "I'll bust you out of here as long as you take me with you wherever you go after."

It is a generous offer, but one Maka does not understand. "But why?" she asks. "You live a free life. Why would you want to give that up?"

"I don't think you realize what life is like for people like me," he replies, sitting down heavily on her unmade bed without asking permission. Maka thinks this a little rude but under the circumstances she overlooks it. "I'm not saying it's any easier being in this place, but out there it's like living with a constant fear. You're always looking over your shoulder, waiting for that inevitable slip up when someone will find out what you really are. No, it would be much better to be true to myself." He falls silent, having realized that he has been talking too much about himself.

Maka sits cautiously on the bed beside him, not very close. She is wary of men because of her father. "Why me, though?" she asks next. "There were plenty of us on the walk today. Why, out of all of us, do you want to rescue me?"

The grin he turns on her is agonizingly toothy, but it is not frightening or odd. It is almost attractive. "Didn't you feel the way our souls were attracted to each other? That means you and I are destined to be partners."

"Partners?" Maka repeats. "I-I don't understand..."

He scoffs. "I guess they really don't teach you anything in here." She is about to respond huffily when she realizes he is right, so she remains silent and waits for him to continue. "Those that are like us are split into two categories: weapons and technicians, or meisters. A meister wields the weapon and they can be very powerful together, though they are usually useless on their own. For a meister to be able to wield a weapon, they must have similar soul wavelengths."

"That's why they keep us separated then," Maka murmurs out loud. She's always wondered about group one and group two and why the two are always kept apart, but she has never found a logical explanation until now. It also explains her parents, she thinks to herself.

The strange boy nods, looking at her through the moonlight with his odd red eyes. "Yeah, I'd imagine they don't want anyone realizing their soul wavelengths match up. Weapons and meisters are weak and useless on their own. They'd be easier to control if they're kept apart." He pauses. "So what do you say? Let me rescue you and become my partner?" He holds out his hand, waiting for her to shake it and seal the deal.

Maka lifts her hand but hesitates. "I'll agree on one condition."

"Which is?" His eyebrows are arched in lazy amusement, an expression that seems to suit him well.

"I want to rescue all the wards here as well." Her voice is firm.

The boy lets his hand fall back into his lap. "That's impossible," he says flatly. "There are too many and it would be impossible to get them all out without the staff knowing."

"Why is it so impossible?" Maka wants to know, barely remembering to keep her voice down. "You got in, didn't you? To get me out. Why would it be so different with the others? There's not that many of them, really."

The boy is still frowning, looking perturbed at the direction the conversation is going. "It'll be difficult..." he finally says.

Maka grins. "That's okay. I believe in us." She holds out her hand again. "I'm Maka Albarn. Nice to meet you."

He gives another exasperated smile and shakes her hand; his grip is firm. "Soul Evans. Now get dressed and take whatever belongings you have so we can get the hell out of here. This place gives me the creeps."

Maka scurries to do as he orders, thinking about how exciting it will be to finally be free. The only clothing she has besides her school uniform is the outfit she had been wearing the day she was arrested, so this is what she pulls on after firmly ordering her new partner to turn his back, which he does with a muffled, "Not like you've got anything to hide," which she pointedly chooses to ignore.

Then she shoves her pajamas and her school uniform into her rucksack, along with her toiletries and her notebook, and she is ready to go. She crunches over the glass before the window, wearing shoes now, and looks at the thirty-foot drop to the ground below.

"And just how are we getting out of here?" she asks archly, wondering again how he'd managed to get up there in the first place.

He stands beside her, their shoulders touching, and looks down too. "I came up using a rope," he answers her unasked question. "But I think we should try getting down together. I mean _together_."

Maka hesitates. She likes the idea of being able to wield a weapon, but she has no idea how to go about doing it even though she's seen her parents do it before. It seems like it is foreign territory to Soul as well, because he looks just as clueless as she does.

"What exactly do we do?" she asks, frowning.

The next thing she knows the strange boy standing beside her is gone and there is an enormous scythe in her hands. Though it should be too heavy for her to even lift, it is practically weightless beneath her fingers. Even though it is just a piece of weaponry, it is almost as if she can see Soul somewhere in the bright blade. The pull she has been feeling thus far is multiplied a hundredfold like this, as if they are one person now instead of two.

An alarm sounds loudly, though it seems like it is far away at the moment.

"How do you feel?" comes Soul's voice, sounding as though it is directly in her head.

Maka mentally checks herself out. "Okay," she admits. "Actually, better than okay. I feel great. I feel... powerful."

"Excellent." It is as if she can see that toothy grin even though he is nothing more than a piece of metal. "So let's get out of here."

She doesn't need to be told twice. Feeling suddenly quite different than she ever has before, Maka boldly clambers onto the window ledge, her bag slung over her shoulder and Soul in her hand. Then, without even a moment's hesitation, she jumps. The alarm is just as loud outside; it has apparently been rigged to go off as soon as a weapon and meister connect.

Though the drop should have killed her - or at the very least injured her badly - she lands firmly on both feet without any pain. Then Soul is no longer a scythe in her hand but a boy standing beside her.

"Run!" he grunts as shouts come from the castle behind them. He grabs her hand and they are off running. Though the fence is high and seemingly impenetrable, it is only a matter of a few seconds before Soul has ripped through the metal bars with his scythe-arm. He pulls Maka through behind them and they are off again, pounding down the sleeping streets of the ancient city.

On her own, Maka would have gotten horribly lost. With the combination of the dark and the unfamiliar city, along with the policemen and guards already hot on their trail, it would have been impossible. Thankfully she has Soul with her. He drags her along, seeming not to even think about where he is going. He yanks her around corners and down narrow, dank alleys until she is hopelessly lost.

They run for the better part of an hour. Maka finds a painful stitch in her side but Soul's tight grip on her hand never slackens and she cannot stop. And then they are in front of an enormous stone building with marble pillars and an intricate fountain out front. Soul pushes open the door and drags Maka inside, closing the door behind them.

At first Maka is grateful for a chance to rest, so she does nothing but catch her breath for a moment. Then she looks around at the building with an ever-growing sense of alarm. "Soul!" she exclaims in a strangled voice. "This is _town hall_!"

"Yeah," he answers shortly, shoving his hands deep into his pants pockets again with that same bored expression.

She brushes strands of blond off her sweaty forehead. "What are we doing here?" she hisses. "Isn't this a dangerous place for us to be?"

"No, it's actually the safest for now," he replies, not looking at her. "The police will never think to look here, even though it's always unlocked. And in the middle of the night, there's no one here. We should have the place to ourselves until morning. Hopefully we'll find a chance to slip away before then, after the police have moved on to a different part of the city."

Maka falls silent, thinking that his plan is actually fairly sound. She is thinking these things - begrudgingly, of course - when she sees the crimson on his cheek. "Oh, Soul! You're cut!" Without thinking, she reaches up a hand to his cheek, thinking to wipe away the thin line of blood.

Without warning, Soul captures her hand in his own, pressing it more firmly against his cheek. He closes his eyes and sighs heavily, almost wistfully.

Maka feels a strangeness in her chest that has nothing to do with being a meister. She finds that she, who has never been lacking in words, is strangely speechless. Soul bends his head closer, almost as if against his will, and his face is very close to hers.

"I'm afraid this place isn't quite as deserted as you'd hoped," a cool voice rings out across the cavernous room, and Soul springs away at once. Maka's hand drops to her side and she finds herself wondering what exactly has just happened.

The boy who is addressing them is probably around their age, give or take a few years. He is tall and thin, with amber eyes and dark hair with unusual white markings. He is dressed very formally; even the way he holds himself speaks of something higher class. It is easy to see why they missed him at first. The room is only dimly lit and he is sitting at a table in a corner, nearly hidden behind a thick stack of dusty tomes.

Soul steps partially in front of Maka with a scowl on his face, as though shielding her from this new stranger.

"Who's that?" she asks. She directs her question to her new partner but the room is so silent and cavernous that even her low voice echoes off the marble walls.

Soul's red eyes are locked on the tall, poised boy who rises gracefully out of his chair to stand before the desk. "Death the Kid," he grumbles. "The mayor's son."

"You're lucky you came here," the boy introduced as the mayor's son says in a bored, drawling voice. He speaks casually, but he obviously senses the tenseness in the room and leaves a great amount of distance between them and himself.

The white-haired boy snorts derisively. "And why is that?"

Maka speaks confidently though she does not know how she knows. "He's one of us."

Soul's eyes flash to Maka, startled, before locking on the thin young man in front of them as if demanding answers. Kid nods solemnly, hands shoved deep in the pockets of his trousers.

"He's a meister like me," Maka tells Soul, though again she doesn't know how she knows.

Soul doesn't seem to like it much, but he does relax a bit and removes himself from between Maka and Kid. "So what?" Soul demands. "You're not going to call the cops?"

"I wasn't planning on it," Kid answers smoothly. Despite a slightly haughty demeanor, Maka likes him. "I was actually going to suggest you come with me to my home."

Soul snorts. "Yeah, go right into the heart of the enemy's territory. Great plan."

"No, it actually is." Maka touches his arm gently. "They'd never even think to look for us there. We can lay low for a few days and then slip out when they've moved the search further out from the city."

Kid nods approvingly. "Exactly what I was going to suggest. I guess it's true that meisters are the smart ones." Soul frowns and his eyes flash but, to his credit, he says nothing.

"But why are you helping us?" Maka wonders, her hand still resting lightly on her partner's arm as if restraining him.

Kid shrugs, a gesture that is somehow elegant with his lean frame. "I would be an abomination if I didn't do everything in my power to help my own kind."

"Yeah, you help a whole lot sitting on a marble throne while we suffer on the streets and in child prisons," Soul growls, and Maka's hand on his arm tightens significantly.

Kid's amber eyes are just as cold as he gazes back at Soul. "I'm afraid my freedom is quite a bit more limited than you might think. I do what I can while maintaining my own anonymity. Anything too grandiose would give me away and then I could do nothing for anyone."

Soul's eyes smolder but he knows when to keep his mouth shut.

"So, if you're willing to accept my offer, I'd be happy to hide you away in my home until all this mess quiets down," Kid offers.

"Yes. Thank you." Maka trusts him inexplicably but wholeheartedly, and she has always trusted her gut instincts above all else. She has no problem accepting this offer. "I'm Maka. Maka Albarn."

Soul grudgingly extends his hand to their new ally. "I'm her partner, Soul."

"Is there a surname to go with that?" Kid asks, shaking the proffered hand.

Though he had no problem revealing his last name to Maka, Soul seems reluctant to say it now. "It's not important," he mutters. Kid, a perfect gentleman, does not press the matter.

"How far is it to your house?" Maka asks, knowing that even with this ray of light they are not out of the danger zone yet. The streets of the ancient city are most likely still crawling with guards from Parnevik Hall and local police.

Kid checks an impressive watch round his wrist. "Not far, but it will be a dangerous trip while the red alert is still in place."

"They've got a red alert in place for us?" Maka repeats incredulously.

Soul grins that toothy grin at her. "Not us. Just you. Nobody knows I'm missing yet."

Maka frowns, crossing her arms over the wrinkled white button-up blouse she's wearing. "Why am I such a high priority case? I never acted out when I was incarcerated. I was one of the low security wards."

"Parnevik Hall is known throughout Europe as the strictest and most efficient prison for underage meisters and weapons," Kid explains. "If it gets out that a ward has escaped - even one that was a low profile case - the institution would lose all of its hard-earned credibility."

"So how do we get to your house?" Soul demands, perching on the edge of the desk and crossing his legs. "Any secret passageways under the city or anything?"

Kid's smile is short and wry. "I'm afraid not. But I know this city better than anyone. As long as we move quickly and keep our heads down, no one will be the wiser for our passage. But we need to move now. It'll be daylight soon and it'll be impossible to get by unnoticed then, and we can't hide out here all day. It won't be long before the city officials are here."

So they leave city hall quietly. There is the faintest tinge of pink along the eastern horizon. Maka feels a tremor of panic beneath her skin as she scurries along cobblestone streets between tall, narrow buildings that are at least several centuries old. She follows closely behind Kid, who moves with determination and purpose. Soul follows her, his mouth set in a grim line, looking often over his shoulder as if to see if anyone is following.

The trek from city hall to the mayor's house seems to take hours, but it is hardly twenty minutes before Kid is holding open a side door to an enormous mansion surrounded by an intricate wrought-iron fence. Even though it is barely dawn, they can hear people bustling about in a nearby kitchen.

Kid leads the way past closed doors and up two flights of stairs to a third-floor hallway with only three doors. He unlocks one of them with an old-looking iron key and they are safely inside. Kid locks the door behind them.

Death the Kid's bedroom is unlike anything Maka, who comes from a family of only modest means, has ever seen. The house is nearly as ancient as Parnevik Hall, and this bedroom was probably once a chamber for a grand noble. It has polished marble floors and creamy white walls. An enormous four-poster, bigger than any bed Maka has seen before, sits against one wall. The room is so large that there is a sitting area opposite the bed, with couches and sofas and armchairs surrounding a fireplace large enough for someone of Maka's limited stature to stand inside.

"We're safe here?" Soul asks, looking around at the opulence without much enthusiasm or awe.

Kid nods, hanging the iron key on a hook by the door. "Yes. The door locks from the inside and this here is the only key. Whenever I'm not here, you can lock yourselves in and be one hundred percent safe. There are no other occupants on this floor, so you don't have to worry about being especially quiet."

"What about the other doors in this hallway?" Maka asks, dropping her bag beside one of the sofas.

"One of them is my personal study, and the other is a workout room that only I ever use," Kid continues to explain. "You are welcome to use both, though I don't advise it. I think your best bet would be to stay in this room. There's a bathroom through that doorway there, and I'll make sure food is brought up regularly."

Soul flops down in one of the armchairs, sinking down several inches into the plush material. "What about the maids? Do we need to be on the lookout for them?"

"No, the maids don't come up to the third floor," Kid says. When Soul arches an eyebrow questioningly, he continues. "I suffer from a slight case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I clean these rooms myself. I don't like others messing with my things." He says it almost defensively, but Maka isn't judging. Even Soul simply shrugs.

Maka yawns, suddenly feeling the exhaustion of the evening. She realizes that she has only slept a few hours in the past two days, and it is now quite difficult to even hold her head up.

Soul, who seems to be in tune with her every emotion since their merging as weapon and meister, notices immediately. "We need to get some sleep. Maka's falling asleep on her feet."

"Of course." Kid is the picture of hospitality even though they are fugitives and of a completely different social status. "Please, feel free to make use of my bed. You will find extra linens in the closet if you so choose. I urge you to make yourself at home."

Maka blinks back a yawn and puts on a face of concern. "What about you, Kid? Aren't you going to get some sleep?"

He checks his impressive watch again. "I'm afraid I'm due down for breakfast in half an hour, and I can't miss it."

"But you haven't had any sleep tonight either," Maka protests.

Soul leans back in his chair, putting his arms behind his head. "Yeah, why were you just hanging out at city hall in the middle of the night?"

"I'm something of an insomniac," Kid admits with another wry smile. "Plus my situation has made me something of a loner. I spend a lot of nights going through old records at city hall, looking for a loophole to this whole meister-weapon fiasco. I've yet to find one, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. So, if you'll excuse me, I'll return after breakfast with some food. I suggest you two get some rest." With a stately little bow, he leaves the room.

Soul turns to Maka at once. "You think we should trust this guy?"

"I think so," she nods. "I mean, he's done nothing to make me suspicious. He even left the key, so he can't even get back into the room unless we let him. Plus he's one of us. I don't think he'd betray us."

Her partner continues to frown. "How did you know he was one of us?"

"I'm not really sure," Maka admits. "I just looked at him and it was as if I could see his soul. I guess I've been able to do it for a while now, but we were so oppressed at Parnevik Hall that I never really noticed."

Soul sighs. "So I guess we'll just lie low here for a little bit. I wonder if he's got a television around this place. Then we'd at least be able to keep up with the hunt for us."

She yawns again. "You can watch some television, but I need some sleep. I don't think I've ever been this tired." She takes her bag and retires to the bathroom, where she changes into her much more comfortable pajamas and brushes her teeth and brushes through her long blond hair.

When she comes out of the bathroom, Soul is using blankets from the closet to make up a pallet on the sofa. While the sofa looks comfortable, it isn't nearly long enough for her new partner to stretch out his lean, lanky frame. She looks from the couch to the bed. The bed is easily king-sized, bigger than any bed she has ever slept on before. "You know, we could share the bed," she offers, hoping it doesn't sound like some cheesy come on. "I mean, it's plenty big for both of us. I think it's bigger than my entire cell at Parnevik Hall."

He smiles briefly at her attempt at a joke. Maka is not the sort of girl who usually cracks jokes. "You sure it's okay?" he asks.

"As long as you stay on your side of the bed, it's fine," she agrees.

"That won't be a problem," he mutters, and she frowns at his blatant declarations of her lack of sex appeal. Maka knows she's flat-chested and a little short for her age, but it doesn't mean she doesn't have feelings.

She climbs into one side of the bed, feeling the softness of the 400-thread count sheets against her skin, the fluffiness of the feather pillow beneath her head. She feels like a princess and promptly decides she will pretend she is - just in her own mind - but she falls asleep too quickly to pretend.

**So this was originally supposed to be a one-shot and it ended up being way too long. But anyway, please review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**I'd like to give a special shout out to the-grey-lines for her wonderful review! Not only was it the first review, which is always special, it was a really good one too! So thanks a lot!**

**This chapter is sort of short, but I updated quickly XD**

Maka sleeps for several hours, more soundly than she's slept since the initial roundup over a year ago. When she wakes up, Soul is still passed out and Kid is knocking politely on the door to be let back into his own bedroom.

She scurries out of the comforting bed, feeling strangely well-rested for only a few hours of sleep, and opens the door. Despite having not slept at all, Kid looks just as refined and elegant as before.

"I hope I didn't wake you," he says politely as she shuts the door behind him. He has a tray in his hands with covered dishes that smell quite delicious.

"No, I was up," she answers, and it is partially true. "Soul is still asleep though." They both look over to the lump in the bed that is her partner.

Kid turns back to her. "I've brought you some food." He sets the tray down on the polished coffee table. "I'll be back again this afternoon. You should try and get a bit more sleep."

"Wait, you're not staying?" Maka feels that she should spend some more time with this boy who is risking so much to save them.

He gives her a small but genuine smile. "I'm afraid I have quite a lot to do today. I also want to see if the police or Parnevik guards are onto us yet. But I'll be back." With another polite smile he leaves and she is (mostly) alone again.

The food on the tray is unlike anything Maka has ever seen before. Even before Parnevik Hall, where the food was tasteless and prepared in bulk without much consideration, her meals hadn't been extravagant. Her parents were both hard workers - even her father - but they hadn't been particularly well-off. The foods on the tray are delicacies of the region, things she's heard about but has never had the chance to try. She digs into these without waiting for Soul. She is sure he will excuse her.

He wakes up when she is halfway through some sort of meat and egg pastry that she cannot name but finds delicious. He rolls out of bed without bothering to make it and staggers over to her, still half-asleep. He reaches for a pastry and pours himself a cup of coffee, and he doesn't speak until the first cup is completely drained.

"Sleep well?"

"Oh yes." Maka doesn't know how much detail to go into. She thinks Soul will make fun of her for her princess fantasy, so she doesn't mention it. "You?"

He shrugs noncommittally, taking an enormous bite out of his pastry.

Maka and Soul are left alone almost all day. There is very little to do so Maka reads books she's swiped from Kid's study and writes diligently in her notebook while Soul paces and grumbles to himself and sometimes seems to contemplate leaving but he never does. Finally, after it's been dark for a few hours, Kid returns with another five-star meal for them.

"You, my friend, have caused quite a stir with your sudden disappearance," Kid says with a smirk, setting the tray on the coffee table.

Soul frowns stiffly but says nothing.

"Of course, your disappearance hasn't been linked to Maka's escape from Parnevik Hall - at least not yet," Kid continues. "But it seems like quite a big deal. They've even announced it on the news."

Maka frowns, her mouth watering at the mere smell of whatever is hiding beneath the covered dishes on the tray. "Why would you leaving home be such a big deal, Soul?"

Kid answers before Soul can, though it isn't likely Soul was going to answer at all anyway. "Oh, didn't you know? Soul belongs to one of the most distinguished families in this city. Old money, you know. Like my family."

"Oh." She doesn't know why it bothers her so much that he has kept this little tidbit of information to himself, but it does. She wishes he had told her about his family himself. Isn't that what partners were supposed to do?

Soul senses her disappointment. "It's not a big deal," he assures her in annoyance. "I'm not like them." Maka wants to ask him more, demand answers to the questions budding in her brain, but she feels that it is a private conversation and would rather wait until they are alone.

Kid, always perceptive, seems to realize he's gone a step too far into their relationship. "I have good news, though. I've found you a way out of the city."

"You have?" Soul sounds skeptical, his arms crossed in a stoic pose.

Kid nods, ignoring the implication that he is inept. "I have an old acquaintance who is a conductor of one of the Euro-trains."

"The trains that travel in a big loop around Europe?" Maka clarifies. "The ones that take months to complete their loop?"

Again, Kid nods. "Yes. He's agreed to smuggle you out of Sweden on his train."

"Why?" Soul demands. "Why would he help us?"

"He's one of us," comes the even reply.

Soul sighs in exasperation. "Of course."

"There are a lot more of us out there than the authorities want us to think," Kid points out seriously. "I understand your skepticism, but our kind has got to stick together."

Maka interrupts smoothly. She thinks that Soul and Kid have a certain respect for one another, but their personalities differ a great deal and they always seem to end up arguing. "That's a wonderful plan, Kid, but we can't leave yet. Not until we rescue the other wards from Parnevik Hall."

He fixes her with a steady look. "That's going to be extremely difficult, Maka. Damn near impossible, I'd say."

"That's what I told her," Soul grumbles, sinking down onto the couch and uncovering the food on the tray.

Maka remains firm. "I know it's going to be difficult, but I can't leave them there. It's not right."

There is a long pause. "I think I may have a plan," Kid finally says. "My father often entrusts me with various duties regarding the welfare of this town. I can pretend my father has sent me to investigate the recent escape, and, as the mayor's son, Medusa, Arachne, and Shaula won't be able to turn me away. I can smuggle you in as my bodyguards or assistants or something of the like."

Maka feels her heart swell with conflicting emotions. "But, Kid, if you do that, it'll come out that you're one of us... There will be no going back."

Kid turns his back. "I know. If we're going to do this, our window of opportunity is agonizingly small. My conductor friend - his name is Sid - leaves on his route in three days. Our best bet is to wait until that day to execute our plan. That way I can get everyone on the train and out of town before anyone really knows what's happened."

"But, Kid!" Maka protests suddenly, stricken. "Aren't you coming with us? Please do!"

The dark-haired young man hesitates, and Soul puts a friendly hand on his shoulder. "You should. Anything's better than being stuck in this sort of situation. Trust me. I know."

Kid gives a small smile. "Thank you," he says.

**DUNDUNDUN! The plot thickens. Sort of. Anyway, review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews!**

Maka doesn't know how she waits three days. They are the longest three days of her life. It doesn't help that she is cooped up in Kid's room with only Soul for company - Kid is often gone all day preparing for their possibly suicidal rescue mission. At first she tries to engage her partner in conversation, hoping to ease into the topic of his family and his reasons for escaping, but, for all his lazy appearances, he is an expert at avoiding certain topics. He redirects conversations and it's a full hour before she realizes she's been put off.

But eventually the day in question arrives. Kid provides large black cloaks for Soul and Maka. They are made of some sort of heavy material, and it covers them both from head to toe. There are silver masks - the same kind the mayor's personal guard wear - to hide their faces, and the hoods cover their hair. Maka doesn't even recognize herself when she looks in the mirror.

She is frightened about returning to Parnevik Hall. It is, after all, a place that holds horrible memories for her. But Maka is strong-willed and determined to do the right thing, so she and Soul follow Kid out of the mayor's ancient and luxurious mansion into the streets.

There are police officers milling about on street corners or near the roundabout, but when they notice the odd trio they only bow respectfully to the mayor's son and don't try to arrest the runaways. Even if the cloaks don't breathe and are excruciatingly hot, Maka is pleased to be able to be out and about in the city without having a guard or police officer breathing down her neck.

She isn't able to enjoy the journey, however. Kid, who doesn't speak, sets a brisk pace; he is a man with a mission. Soul and Maka are left to match his speed, their cloaks swishing, their masks cool against their flushed skin. And then the spires of Parnevik Hall are visible over the other buildings and the trees and then they turn into the wide lane and there is the front gate with the intercom system.

Kid presses the button and it is Eruka's voice that answers, sounding whiny and sullen. "Yes? What do you want?"

"I am Death the Kid," Kid answers coolly, clearly not pleased by her insolent tone. "My father has sent me here to look into the escape of one of your wards earlier in the week."

"O-oh! Of course! Right away!" Eruka's tone is suddenly ingratiating. Maka hates that voice even more than the sullen one.

It is a guard called Asura who comes down the long lane to the gate to greet them, opening the enormous wrought-iron gate with a key-code. He smiles what Maka supposes is supposed to be ingratiating; he only succeeds in flashing his sharp teeth at her. Unlike Soul's toothy smile, Asura's is frightening. "What a surprise, Sir," Asura practically purrs. "We didn't know you were coming."

Kid's expression and voice remain cold and superior. "Fortunately, I am not required to announce my every mood. I'd like to speak with Dr. Arachne, Dr. Medusa, and Dr. Shaula. Right away." His tone makes it clear that this is not a request, it is an order.

"Of course," Asura agrees, but the toothy smile is more malicious than agreeable.

Maka has to fight her natural instinct - the one that tells her to run - as she follows Kid and Asura up the long drive flanked by perfectly pruned hedges. Every instinct is telling her to run away from Parnevik Hall, not go towards it. Soul, walking very closely beside her, reaches out and brushes her hand briefly beneath the heavy folds of their cloaks. Even though it is a small gesture, Maka finds it reassuring.

The entrance hall is constructed of stone, with an enormous vaulted ceiling and low-hanging chandeliers that had at one time used real candles but now use electric versions. There are ancient, dusty tapestries and faded paintings hanging on the stone walls. Dr. Arachne, Dr. Medusa, and Dr. Shaula meet them there.

Dr. Arachne Gorgon is the eldest of the three, though by how many years Maka doesn't know. She is tall and very thin, almost skeletal. She has long dark hair and dark eyes that are somehow strange though Maka has never been able to place why they are so odd. Dr. Medusa Gorgon is younger and just shorter, with short blond hair much longer in the front and eyes that are almost as strange as her sister's but for a different reason, though Maka is no closer to explaining it. Dr. Shaula Gorgon is the youngest, more childlike than her seductive sisters, with dark hair and eyes that are as odd as her sisters'.

The three Gorgon sisters paste on smiles that, while polite, are clearly unhappy. They probably haven't been expecting further inquiry into Maka's escape, and Kid's pompous arrival has caught them off guard.

"Good afternoon, Sir." It is Arachne who takes charge, speaking in her deep, sultry voice. "What brings you to our school this afternoon?"

Kid turns a bored look on her with his amber-colored eyes. "You lost a ward, Dr. Arachne, yet you ask me what brings to me to your _school_?" He puts a certain, derogatory emphasis on the word school. "I'm here to investigate this blatant violation of protocol."

Dr. Medusa, who is far more hotheaded than her older sister, gets angry at once. "What do you mean this violation of protocol?" she growls.

"You run a high-security prison for meisters and weapons - those deemed too dangerous for normal society. You assured my father and the city council that there was no way a ward could escape, yet it has happened."

Dr. Medusa looks like she's going to continue but Dr. Shaula steps in smoothly. "We understand your concern, Sir, and we'd like to do anything we can to help."

"Excellent," Kid says coolly. "I'd like to question your wards privately."

The three doctors exchange looks - and probably some sisterly insight without words - but the smiles never waver. "Of course, Sir. Follow me." While Arachne and Shaula lead them down a long stone corridor, Medusa slips off to another part of the castle.

The room Dr. Arachne and Dr. Shaula take them to is one Maka, as a well-behaved ward, has never seen. There is a desk with a chair behind it. There is another chair in front of the desk, hard-backed and very uncomfortable looking. This room has no adornment on the walls or stone floors; it's a room that is usually reserved for interrogating misbehaving wards.

Kid seats himself in the chair on the interrogating side of the desk, Maka on one side of him and Soul on the other. Maka leans down and whispers in Kid's ear, "This room is more than likely bugged with microphones and cameras."

Kid nods knowingly; he's probably quite familiar with surveillance equipment.

The first ward into the interrogation room is a buxom Japanese girl named Tsubaki Nakatsukasa. Because she is in group two, Maka doesn't know her very well. When she has seen Tsubaki from afar, however, the girl has always seemed very rational and even-headed.

She sidles into the room, looking almost too old to be wearing the Parnevik Hall uniform, and takes a quiet, uneasy seat in the interrogation chair. Though she looks nervous, she is still calm and collected. Maka likes her immediately.

Kid doesn't speak, just gestures for Maka to make her move.

Maka moves forward around the table, much to Tsubaki's surprise. Then Maka leans down and talks through her mask. "Don't act surprised," she warns. "You can't let anything show on your fact."

To her credit, after the initial surprise, Tsubaki's face becomes impassive.

"It's me, Maka." Tsubaki's face is still a mask. "I'm here to bust everybody out. You have to listen to me very carefully. Arachne, Medusa, and Shaula have kept us separated in two groups because when weapons and meisters get together, they're very powerful. Too powerful for them to control us here. What I need you to do is when you get out of here, find someone in group one that you connect with, a meister that you feel can handle you as a weapon. Then get together all the things you want to take with you and be ready to leave when the time comes. Nod if you can do that."

Almost imperceptibly, Tsubaki nods. Kid dismisses her with an equally impassive face.

Tsubaki handles the news better than any of the others. Most of them have a hard time keeping incredulity or surprise from their faces, but all of them are more than eager to go along with the plan. Loud-mouthed and dramatic Black Star very nearly gives them away, but they manage to get him to agree without shouting about it.

Then they are through all of the wards and there is nothing for it but to hope everyone has found a partner that they can work with, at least for long enough to get out of Parnevik Hall.

Arachne, Medusa, and Shaula are waiting in the hallway when Maka, Soul, and Kid emerge from the interrogation room. Though their smiles are still in place, they are obviously not happy about something. Maka can only assume it's because they couldn't tell quite what went on in the interrogation room.

"I trust you were successful in your interrogation?" Dr. Arachne says with that eerie fake smile.

Kid never loses his cool. "Quite. I hope to have this matter completely resolved in the next few days."

"And what about the ward that escaped?" Dr. Medusa asks, almost sullenly.

"Oh, we've already recovered her," Kid says with a certain amount of surprise. "You need not worry about her anymore."

Now it is impossible to hide their surprise. The Gorgon sisters look shocked. "You've found and apprehended her? Why weren't we informed of this development?"

Maka pushes her hood back and removes her mask, much to the surprise of her former tormenters. "Because I am no longer your responsibility. In fact, now none of us are," she says, sounding braver than she feels. She raises her voice. "Move! _Now_!"

The wards stream through the door leading into the waiting area and into the grand hall, startling the doctors and nurses. Maka is thrilled to find that nearly all the weapons and technicians have found partners. Ox Ford is with Harvar de Éclair, a French weapon Maka doesn't know very well. Kilik Rung is with with Fire and Thunder, very young twins. Kim is with Jacqueline O'Lantern Dupré, another French weapon. Meme is with Tsuguimi Harudori, a Japanese halberd. Anya is with a scythe that Maka doesn't recognize despite it being familiar. Akane is with Clay. Perhaps the most shocking pairing is the calm and reserved Tsubaki with the loud and boisterous Black Star. Out of everyone, only the Thompson sisters have failed to find partners, since they are both weapons. Even so, they are just as ready to make their escape as everyone else.

Almost imperceptibly, Soul is in Maka's hands. The faint weight of him is achingly familiar, like he was always meant to be there. "Let's go!"

It is easy to brush past the guards and Arachne and Medusa and Shaula in their startled state. It takes Kilik, Thunder, and Fire just a few quick jabs to dispose of the unsuspecting doctors, while Black Star and Ox take out the guards with Tsubaki and Harvar. Then they are through the front door and racing down the front lane, the alarms sounding so loudly Maka thinks her eardrums might burst. Though the front gate is locked, it is a simple matter for Soul to destroy it and then they are out in the city with alarms blaring all around them.

"Get into weapon form," Kid barks at those few who have transformed back into their human forms. "Stay that way. It'll attract less commotion. You two," he snaps at Liz and Patty Thompson, blond Americans. "Become weapons. I'll handle you." The girls don't hesitate but become matching guns in his hand. He seems shocked when he grabs them, but then they are off, splitting up.

Before they left for the rescue mission, Kid mapped out three different escape routes from Parnevik Hall to the rail yards. They split up at once. Kid takes Ox, Harvar, Kilik, Thunder, and Fire with him down by the harbor. Soul, back in his human form, takes Black Star, Tsubaki, Kim, Jackie, Akane, and Clay behind the factory. And Maka leads Meme, Tsuguimi, Anya, and the unknown weapon behind city hall.

Maka follows the directions Kid has given her exactly, concentrating and trying to ignore the uneasy feeling she gets being away from Soul. But then she is creeping through a hole in the chain link fence surrounding the rail yard. The train she is looking for is enormous and maroon, right where Kid said it would be. She leads her group to the caboose, where she and her group are supposed to meet the others.

Kid and his group are already there. He is waiting in the doorway and quickly ushers them in to the dim interior of the car, which is crowded with crates and luggage. Maka does a quick head count.

"Where's Soul?" she asks, feeling herself panic.

Kid looks grim, checking his watch. "I don't know, but we've only got a minute left before the train leaves."

"We can't leave without him!" Maka cries, feeling a wrenching somewhere in her gut.

Kid's expression doesn't change. "I can't control when the train leaves, Maka. And if we don't leave with it, we're doomed."

She falls silent and chews on her lip, tears threatening to fall. She silently prays that Soul will make it, and the entire group waits in silence for the following minute.

The whistle blows and the train has started moving when Soul and his group appear. He and Tsubaki are supporting Black Star, who has probably gotten himself hurt trying to do something ostentatious. They break into a run, trying to catch up with the slowly accelerating train. Hands reach out for them and they are all drawn into the car, where everyone collapses in a heap of arms and legs.

"Well, well," comes a voice from the doorway leading to the rest of the train. "What have we here?"

Maka looks up from where she is crushed beneath Soul and Kim at the woman in the doorway. She's maybe six or seven years their senior, with dark skin, dark hair, and blue eyes. But the most memorable thing about this woman are the bandages covering most of her body; only her eyes are visible on her face. Maka feels the panic rising again; they have barely made it onto the train and they have already been found out!

But, much to her surprise, Kid seems to know the woman. "Ah, Nygus. There you are."

The woman seems to be frowning behind her bandages. "Pushing it kind of close, aren't you? We didn't think you'd make it."

"There were some complications." Kid throws a dirty look at Black Star, whom Tsubaki is helping now. "Soul, Maka, this is Mira Nygus. She works with my contact, Sid."

"Works with." Mira is smiling now. "I'll say. I'm his weapon. Does your friend need medical attention?" She nods towards Black Star, who is clutching his side.

"I'll handle it," says another voice, one that is familiar but that Maka isn't expecting to hear. She turns to look and sees none other than Marie Mjolnir, a blond woman in her late twenties. Marie is a medical nurse at Parnevik Hall, though the rumor around the school has always been that she's forced to work there against her will. So Maka has finally put a face with the unidentified scythe. "I'm a nurse."

Mira nods, pleased. "Right then. Follow me and I'll show you where you can stay." She leads them from the caboose further into the train. "Since you're technically fugitives, we have to keep you away from the other passengers. We've kept the back two sleeping cars for your use, though you'll have to bunk up. There's a back dining car that you can use, but you'll have to stay behind the lounge car. Everyone understand?"

There are murmurs of assent.

The train has picked up speed and is trundling north as Mira leads the way along the swaying corridor. The hallway has wood paneling on the walls and a deep maroon carpeting, and there are monotonous landscapes hung at various intervals. Mira and the as-yet-unintroduced Sid have managed to set aside five cabins for them, so they split up and try to settle in and keep out of the way until they are out of Sweden.

Maka ends up sharing a cabin with Tsubaki and the Thompson sisters, none of whom she has spent much time with before since they are all weapons and therefore were in group two.

"So you've got to tell us," Liz, who is probably about seventeen or so, says as she throws her backpack onto the bottom bed of the bunk she is sharing with her younger sister. "How did you escape Parnevik Hall in the first place?"

Maka sets her own bag on the top bed of the bunk she is sharing with Tsubaki. "I really can't take any of the credit. Soul, the white-haired guy who was with me, came and busted me out."

"How'd you meet him?" Patty, who doesn't seem the brightest crayon in the box, asks eagerly. She is already on her bunk, sitting cross-legged like a child waiting to hear a good ghost story.

"We didn't actually meet until he came to bust me out," Maka admits, sitting next to Tsubaki on her bunk. "He saw me when we were on our walk around the city while the castle was being fumigated."

Liz lets out a low whistle. "Wow, he must really have the hots for you."

Maka finds herself blushing despite herself. "No, it's not like that at all. It's just our soul wavelengths match up pretty evenly and he could sense that. So he busted me out so we could be partners."

"Mm hm." Liz doesn't sound convinced.

"No, I mean it." Maka finds herself exasperated. "He doesn't find me attractive at all. He's already made that abundantly clear."

Tsubaki places a gentle hand on Maka's arm. "I'm sure he doesn't mean it like that..."

Maka doesn't like that the conversation has turned to her love life. "I'm going to go find Kid and find out where this train is going."

The hallway is deserted as she moves from the girls' car to the boys', one car closer to the front of the train. She finds Kid in the second room in the second sleeping car, which he is sharing with Soul and Black Star. Black Star is nowhere to be found, probably getting medical treatment from Marie. Soul and Kid are conversing in low tones, all traces of animosity gone now, and they look up when she comes in.

"Ah, Maka. Excellent." Kid beckons her forward into the room, so she shuts the door and joins them. "We're discussing our next plan of action."

Soul leans back in his bunk. "We can't agree on a place to go. I want to get off the train in Romania."

"And _I_ want to ride the train to its final stop in Portugal and take a ferry to Morocco," Kid explains.

"The civil unrest in Romania would be an easy way to lose ourselves," Soul argues. "They're so busy fighting each other that they won't spare a glance for a bunch of kids like us."

"On the contrary," Kid replies, regarding Soul with not hostility but almost respect. "I think they would find us easy leverage to be used in to their advantage. In Morocco, we can hide ourselves with the garb of the country and flee to a remote village."

Soul looks at Maka, frowning. There is no trace of his usual lazy expression. "What do you think, Maka?"

"Me?" She blinks. "I don't really know. I'm originally from Belgium; I don't know anything about Romania or Morocco."

"Great help you are," Soul cracks.

She glares at him. "I think we should put it to a vote. One of the others might have a good idea."

It's not much later when Mira comes to collect the fugitives for dinner. She leads them to one of the dining cars, one that isn't open to the rest of the travelers. It is deserted except for their group. There is a tall, dark-skinned man with black dreadlocks and broad shoulders and extensive tattoos.

"Sid," Kid says with a smile of relief. "It's good to see you."

The man shakes hands with Kid in a familiar way, as though they've known each other for a while. "It's good to see you alive. All of you." He surveys the group with a broad smile. "I gotta say, I wouldn't have believed that three kids could bust out the entire population of Parnevik Hall, but here you all are."

"Let's hope nobody figures out which way we've gone," Ox, who is very intelligent, says darkly.

As they sit down to eat, they put the question of where to go to the group at large. No one has very good suggestions. Black Star declares that they should wage a war against the UN; nobody takes him very seriously.

"You could always go to Death City," Sid cracks. Some of the assembled group chuckles, but Maka doesn't understand.

"What's Death City?" she asks.

"It's a mythological city," Mira explains. "It's said to be the only safe place for weapons and meisters. They say you can only get there if you know where it is, but nobody seems to know, or at least never admits it."

Sid grins. "You've got it mostly right, Nygus."

"Mostly?" she asks archly.

"It's not mythological. It really exists," Sid insists.

His weapon is not impressed. "And you've been there?"

He hesitates. "Well, no."

"I know someone who has."

Everyone turns in surprise to Marie, who has thus far spoken very little. Even at Parnevik Hall, Maka never saw Marie much as she never gets sick. She knows from rumors that Marie, a weapon, agreed to work as a nurse at the school rather than get shipped to one of the many weapon/meister prisons located throughout the world and she has always felt guilty about it. Maka wonders who told her about the escape.

Sid blinks at her. "You know someone who's been to Death City?"

"Yes, he lived there when he was younger," Marie answers quietly, her blond hair tumbling over her shoulders. "His name is Franken Stein. He's a scientist."

"Where can we find him?" Soul demands. Everyone is leaning forward interestedly.

Marie balks at all the attention. "He lives in America. In California."

"How are we supposed to get to America?" Black Star growls. "Anybody got any money for a boat or plane ticket?"

Kid and Soul exchange glances and look away quickly. Maka knows that both their families are wealthy enough to fund the entire trip, but, as runaways, they don't have access to any money.

Sid frowns. "The train loop ends in Portugal. You could maybe catch a boat from Lisbon across the North Atlantic to New York."

"But what about paying for the boat?" Mira demands, also frowning. "There's, what? Twenty of you? How are we going to afford twenty tickets? Not to mention the fact that their faces will probably be plastered on wanted posters everywhere they go."

"It is a bit of a problem," Kid agrees. "Even if we get the money, people will recognize us as soon as the news of the escape is broadcasted."

"Unless we sneak on board." Soul's voice is lazy again, and when Maka turns to look at him, there is that already-familiar grin. "Once we're actually on board, they won't check our tickets. As long as we disguise ourselves a bit, everyone will be too busy having fun to notice us."

"And what about food?" Kim, who likes to eat, presses. "Don't they have assigned seating on these types of ships?" Maka doesn't know. She's never been on a boat ride before.

Soul and Kid both shake their heads. "They have assigned seating in the formal dining rooms, but not at the buffets. And once you're on board, your food is free," Kid explains. "The only problem would be finding a place to sleep."

"We can help with that," Liz spoke up. "Patty and I are pretty adept at picking locks, even electronic ones. If somebody can get us a list of the empty cabins on the ship, we can get in fairly easily."

"I'm good with computers," Ox offers. "If I can get close to the concierge's computer, I can find those rooms."

It is settled alarmingly quickly. They all agree that their best option is to travel to America via cruise ship to find Marie's contact, who will hopefully be able to show them the way to the fabled Death City.

**Sorry it's sort of long! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**The-Grey-Lines: I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!**

**Page Bynder: Thank you for the wonderful reviews! I tried really hard to make this original XD**

**natabee: I'm glad you're hooked! Keep reading!**

Maka has ridden on a train before, but never for such a long time. It takes two days for the train to make its way from Sweden northeast to Finland. They are in Finland for two more days until they cross the eastern border into Russia.

They spend a lot of time in Russia, and the train makes frequent stops to let its passengers on and off. The fugitives from Parnevik Hall are confined to the final two sleeping cars and the closed dining car. They manage to entertain themselves for the most part. Away from the oppression of the Gorgon sisters, the former wards become loud and jovial. They make friends with one another and talk about their lives before incarceration. Many of them were turned in to the authorities by their own parents.

Maka is enthralled by the experience of the long-term train ride, but she finds that the constant swaying keeps her from sleeping well. One night when they have been in Russia for three days, she gets up while Tsubaki and the Thompson sisters are fast asleep, and creeps out of the room in her pajamas.

Since it is the middle of the night, she doesn't see much harm in wondering through the rest of the train. The majority of the passengers have gotten off the train at the last stop, with more to embark the following day, so the train is nearly empty now.

As she is wandering through cars, she hears lovely, almost haunting, music wafting back to her from the lounge car. Curious as to who is playing in the wee hours of the morning, Maka creeps closer.

She doesn't plan on revealing herself, simply hiding in the shadows to listen to the wonderful music, but when she peers through the window in the door, she sees Soul seated behind the grand piano. He is playing with his eyes closed, his fingers ghosting across the black and white keys.

The song is unlike anything Maka has ever heard before, and she is extremely well-versed in classical music. She hides in the darkness of the doorway until the song ends. Instead of beginning another, Soul simply sits with his hands in his lap, his eyes still closed, as though the song is still reverberating through him.

"Please," Maka breaks the stretching silence. "Keep playing."

At the sound of her voice, Soul jerks violently and his eyes whip open. He seems flustered at having been caught thus. "You're not supposed to be here."

"Neither are you." Maka comes into the room, pulling the door closed behind her. She seats herself on the piano bench beside him. "Where did you learn to play like that? It's wonderful."

He frowns. "You really like it?"

"I _love_ it."

He doesn't look at her, running his fingertips over the keys without pushing down on them. "I come from a long line of musicians. My family's sort of famous for it. Even my bother is a world-renowned violinist."

"Oh. I guess that explains why they're so rich." Maka is pleased to have this piece of the puzzle in place at last. She hesitates. "You don't seem to like them very much."

He shrugs, clearly uncomfortable with the way the conversation is going. "They're okay, I guess. I just never fit in with them. With them, it's always a competition. It was always me against my brother. I didn't want that kind of life."

"It's okay." Maka puts her hand on his arm, startling him. "I think you're better than all of them put together."

He pauses, unsure of what to say, and then he is pressing his warm lips against hers.

Maka has never been kissed before, so she's not quite sure how to react. She certainly enjoys it; the varying pressure of his lips on hers, the warmth of his breath, the taste of him on her tongue are all exhilarating sensations.

And then the door is opening again and Soul jumps away, leaving Maka yet again wondering what has just happened. It is Mira, with a cup of steaming coffee in hand. She looks quite surprised to see them.

"What are you-" she begins, but then she seems to put the pieces together and she smiles knowingly. Soul glowers in response. "You two shouldn't be in here. You should go back to your cabins."

"Of course. Sorry." Maka bows respectfully and she follows Soul from the lounge.

"Go to your own cabins!" Mira calls after them in a loud whisper. When she turns around, Maka hears her mutter, "Kids these days. They're only just out of childhood."

Maka wants to say something to Soul, because she senses that this has become a tense situation, but he walks in front of her without looking back. He seems embarrassed. So she remains silent, running her index finger over her bottom lip, tasting him on her tongue.

They reach Soul's cabin first. He pauses, chancing a glance at her. "Can you make it to your room without getting lost?"

"Yes," she grumbles, automatically annoyed.

"Good," he mutters, but then he stops and the cloudy expression on his face is replaced by one that is almost, but not quite, vulnerable. "Night, Maka." He cups her cheek in his hand and presses his lips briefly to her forehead.

"Goodnight," she echoes, bewildered. Then he is in his cabin and shutting the door.

Maka has no choice but to return to her own cabin. Liz and Patty are both snoring softly, almost in unison. Tsubaki has her back turned to the room. None of them notice her return. She clambers into her bunk and pulls the blankets up to her chin, and, much to her surprise, falls asleep right away to have very odd dreams.

**Sorry this one's short! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**This one's short, sorry guys! But thanks for the lovely reviews so far!**

**A special thanks to Page Bynder, The-Grey-Lines, and nicky4339!**

She is the last one awake the following morning, sleeping even later than Patty. When she finally wakes, dresses, and follows the other girls into the dining car, she doesn't know what she is expecting. Soul is sitting in his usual chair, the one beside him empty and waiting for her.

When she slips into it, he flashes her his trademark toothy grin, no trace of awkwardness or changed relationship after the strange encounter the previous evening. Maka is pleased. In the ten days since she met him, Soul has become her closest friend.

It becomes an unspoken agreement between them to share everything, and there are never secrets again.

They spend another two days in Russia and then move south into the Ukraine. By now the fugitives are growing restless. They see the famous sights through the windows in their cabins, but they are not allowed to leave the train to experience them in person. They open the windows as far as they will go, not more than a crack, to let in fresh air but it is not like being outside themselves.

But there is still a great deal of train ride left. They spend four days traveling southwest across the Ukraine, one through Moldova, and four through Romania. Then the train goes through Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia. Then they spend five days going through northern Italy, then move south into France, following the southern coast down to Spain. They spend a total of seven days crossing Spain and then, finally, they are in Portugal. It's another two days before the train reaches the port city of Lisbon and all the legal passengers disembark for good.

While Sid is filling out the appropriate paperwork to have his train completely cleaned, Mira rounds up all the fugitives and their belongings and shuttles them secretly into an unused shed. It's big enough for them all, but dirty and dark and stuffy. Maka hates it immediately.

She doesn't know how long they wait there. Everyone is silent as they stand (it is too crowded and dirty to sit), even loud-mouthed Black Star. Soul stands beside Maka, their hands brushing but not touching. Maka wishes he would hold her hand. She'd feel better that way.

They wait and wait. Eventually dusk falls and Mira and Sid come to them. They are both looking over their shoulders furtively, anxiously.

"Come this way! Hurry!" Mira urges, gesturing for them to follow her.

"What's going on?" Kid asks as they gather their meager belongings and follow Mira out into the dark of the evening. "Where are we going?"

"There's a cruise leaving tomorrow morning at ten," Sid explains as they scurry along. "It's ending in Florida, not New York, but it's our best bet. We need to be on that ship by tonight."

Maka feels the now-familiar fluttering in her chest as she follows Kid, feeling Soul's reassuring presence behind her.

It's a good trek from the train yards to the harbor, made even more difficult because they have to stick to side streets and less populated areas, but eventually the smell of the sea becomes overwhelming and an enormous ship becomes visible over the tops of industrial-looking buildings.

Because the ship isn't due to depart until the following morning, the security is fairly lax. The group is able to sneak in small groups up the gangplank and onto the ship, even the enormous Sid. And then they are in a storage area deep within the ship, hearts pounding and pulses racing.

"Harvar, come with me as a lookout," Ox says, and the two of them slip off to find a computer they can hack the passenger list from. The rest of the group is left in the storage area.

Kid looks up at Sid with a slight frown. "Are you and Nygus coming with us? To America, I mean."

Sid and Mira share a look. "After discussing it, we think it's the best option. We're experienced; we can not only help protect you kids, but teach you about being a meister or a weapon."

"I'm sure the promise of a safe haven helps too," Soul cracks. Sid smiles in response but doesn't say anything.

It seems like Ox and Harvar are gone for hours, but eventually they return with a list of empty cabins. They are all cheap rooms down in the bowels of the ship, small and windowless but at least safe. Most importantly, they are all close together.

Maka ends up rooming with the Thompson sisters and Tsubaki again, in a room quite similar to the one they'd shared on the train except that this one has a bathroom attached. They are all hungry but they don't dare sneak off for food until other passengers begin boarding in the morning.

It is a very long night.

**Like I said, short. And a tad bit boring. Sorry. It'll start picking up again in the next chapter! This one was sort of a transition! Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to Page Bynder for her lovely review! And sorry for the brief hiatus! I hope you enjoy!**

When Maka wakes the next morning, her stomach is grumbling loudly but it is still early and there's no way to go get food yet.

"When do people start boarding?" Liz complains loudly, brushing through her long blond hair. "I'm starving."

"Me too!" Patty choruses in a sing-song voice.

Tsubaki does up her own hair, dark and silky and long. "Soon, I think. I hear a lot of people. Let's give it another hour and we should be good."

It's the longest hour of Maka's life, she thinks as she whiles away the time talking with Kid and Soul. Even though they are all very different, they seem to have become the unofficial leaders of the group because they were the ones who planned the breakout.

After Kid's stomach gives a particularly loud grumble - he is used to eating on a very fixed schedule - he gets to his feet and clears his throat. "Ahem. Well, I think it's safe now to venture for food."

"It's about damn time," Soul grumbles, also getting to his feet. "I don't think I've ever been so hungry before."

Maka hesitates behind the two boys. "W-what about disguises? Don't you think people will recognize us if we don't use them?"

Soul rolls his eyes. "Nobody's going to recognize us. Haven't you been paying attention to the news lately? Parnevik Hall hasn't even publicly admitted that everyone's escaped. Nobody knows."

Maka knows this, of course. Since coming onto the ship, they have watched a great deal of television and perused all the latest newspapers. If the Gorgon sisters had come clean about the prison break, it would definitely be front page worthy, but so far there is nothing.

Soul claps a hand on Maka's shoulder and gives her another of his reassuring, albeit toothy, smiles. "Don't sweat it, Maka. We'll be fine. It's only a six day trip and then we'll be in America."

Maka forces a smile, but she can't help but think of what will happen once they get to America. As of now they have no plans for when they dock in Florida, but somehow they must find their way across the country to California and Dr. Stein.

All these thoughts are pushed out of her head, however, when she joins up with Black Star, Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty and they head for the cafe located on the sunny top deck. Unlike the formal dining room, there is no assigned seating in the cafe, and the ravenous group get in line at the buffets and load their plates down with delicious foods, many of which they don't even recognize.

There isn't much talking at first. Everyone is very busy stuffing their faces. Patty and Black Star seem especially messy. Tsubaki and Kid look almost like twins, neatly cutting up their food and taking tiny bites even though they are starving.

When they all feel sufficiently full, after several trips through the buffet lines, they push back their plates satisfactorily.

"So, did I have a good plan or what?" Soul grins toothily.

Patty nods her head very enthusiastically. "Yeah! Sneaking onto this cruise ship was the best idea ever!"

Liz claps a hand over her younger sister's mouth. "Patty!" she hisses, looking around furtively. "You've got to keep your voice down! We're _fugitives_, remember?"

"Oh yeah!" Patty grins.

"I have to admit I was pretty skeptical at first," Maka says, looking around at the sunny room. From their table, they have a beautiful view out of floor-to-ceiling windows of the ocean, stretching out as far as the eye can see. "But this is really nice. Especially after Parnevik Hall."

Soul grins even more broadly. "Told you."

And it really is wonderful. No one ever asks to see any identification or boarding pass, and, since it seems the Gorgon sisters have yet to announce their ineptitude, no one gives them a passing glance. They are free to go wherever they want on the ship, a freedom that none of them will take for granted.

Liz, Patty, Anya, and Meme spend most of their time sunbathing on the uppermost deck. Though none of them have bathing suits when they arrive, Liz and Patty have nimble fingers and are able to liberate quite a few from the ship's gift shop. Black Star, Soul, and Kilik hit the arcade as soon as they've eaten breakfast and stay there for most of the day, playing free video games almost religiously. Fire and Thunder, the very young twins, join the children's activities and only find their meister after those are over. Kid, Tsugumi, and Kim (along with Jackie, who goes wherever Kim does) can often be found at the art gallery, appreciating the finer things in life. Kim, who ignores increasing advances from an ever-earnest Ox, seems to have taken a liking to the obviously wealthy Kid. Maka, Ox, and Harvar are the ones who shut themselves in the library. (Sid, Mira, and Marie spend quite a lot of time - and money - in the casino and bar.)

It is an altogether pleasant way to spend the week, and it almost with regret that Maka watches the Florida coastline grow ever nearer.

She excuses herself from her room the last night of their trip. Liz, Patty, and Tsubaki, who are playing a board game, don't mind. She heads up to the top deck, where the fresh night air envelops her. There are no lights on this uppermost deck, so it is almost like she is alone in the evening.

When the footsteps approach, she doesn't even have to turn around to tell who it is. Soul's soul wavelength is more than enough identification. He leans against the railing beside her, their shoulders just touching. Instead of looking at her, he gazes out across the ocean.

There are several minutes of silence where they simply enjoy their surroundings and each other's company, and then Maka speaks. "Have you ever traveled on the ocean before?"

He nods, still looking out across it. "My parents owned a yacht, but they were usually too busy to use it. More often than not it was just my brother Wes and me. That's before Wes got really famous as a violinist." He doesn't sound bitter, only slightly sad. Then he turns to his partner and smiles, a softer version of his normal fierce grin. "What about you?"

"No, never." She suddenly finds her modest background embarrassing, like she is not good enough to even be friends with someone like Soul, much less his partner.

As if sensing what was bothering her, Soul looks back out across the water and says, "Tell me about your family." It is more of an order than a request.

"My mother is wonderful. Her name is Kami," Maka explains, beaming at the mere memory of her mother. "She was a scythe technician as well."

Soul lets out a low whistle. "You're really lucky. Your mom must have understood what you were going through." He pauses. "What happened to her? I assume she didn't turn you in."

"Definitely not!" Maka says vehemently. "When we got found out, she and my dad got shipped to some prison in Africa. That's all I ever found out." She tries not to think of her parents. She doesn't even know if they're still alive.

"They arrested your mom _and_ your dad?" Soul seems surprised. "Is your dad one of us too?"

"Yes," she answers, a little bitterly. After all, she still blames her father for everything that has befallen their family. "He's my mother's death scythe."

An awkward silence falls, and it takes Maka a moment to realize what Soul must be thinking.

"It's pretty unusual, though, weapons and their meisters marrying," she assures him quickly. "It usually doesn't work out. My parents were getting a divorce. That's how we were found out in the first place."

He murmurs in assent but says nothing more on the matter, resting his chin on his hand. Maka wonders if she should bring up that time he kissed her; her curiosity is killing her. But neither of them has mentioned it since that night, and she's loathe to disrupt the amicable balance they've achieved.

But she can't let the moment go and she leans into his shoulder. She fits perfectly like she is meant to be there forever. Soul doesn't seem to mind; he puts his arm around her shoulders and draws her closer. She feels his warmth, smells his zesty scent, and it is so heady it nearly overwhelms her.

They don't speak again, simply stand there together admiring the rolling ocean and velvety blackness of the night. For the first time in forever, Maka thinks how wonderful things are.

If only they could last.

**Dun dun dun! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for the reviews, guys! Please keep reading! **

The following day is a flurry of nervous activity. The fugitives must make their rooms look like they have never been inhabited and slip out with the throngs of passengers disembarking. They regroup just outside the cruise line's building, with Sid and Mira and Marie managing them as if they were on some sort of field trip.

"Alright," Sid says grimly, automatically taking charge as he is the only adult meister among them. "Anybody got any ideas how to get across the country?"

"Can we rent cars?" Anya asks, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "I mean, I know that you, Mira, and Marie are the only ones old enough to rent cars, but if each of you drives one we can get to California in a few days, right?"

"Where are we going to get the money?" Kim whines. "None of us has a penny to our names, and I don't think they let you rent cars on credit."

"Hey, excuse me," a masculine voice interrupts them. It belongs to a blond young man wearing priest's robes and a friendly smile. "I didn't mean to be eavesdropping, but did I hear you say you need to get to California?"

Sid and Mira are defensive immediately. "So?"

"Well it just so happens I'm heading to California myself," the young priest admits. "It's an awfully long journey, and it would help to have some company."

Sid still looks skeptical. "There are twenty-two of us. I'm sure you don't have that much room."

"Actually I do," the man says with another friendly smile. "I've actually got an entire bus and I've only got a few passengers already. I'm driving the bus to my new church in California. My name is Justin Law."

"Sid Barett," Sid introduces himself. "Let us talk it over a minute and we'll let you know."

"Of course," the priest continues to smile.

The group of fugitives retreat a few yards to have a huddled conversation. "What do you think, Kid?" Mira asks.

Kid frowns. "It seems like an offer too good to be true. A man shows up with exactly what we need. Even if it's a trap, I think we'd be fools not to take it."

"Surely it's not a trap," Marie says in her soft voice. "I mean, he's a priest. He's taken the oath of God."

"Let's do it," Maka says decisively. "I mean, there are plenty of us here, weapons _and_ meisters. We can take care of ourselves if something goes wrong."

Sid nods, a faint smile on his face. "Alright. Let's get going." He raises his voice. "Hey, Mr. Priest! We've decided we'll take your offer."

Justin Law looks delighted. "Wonderful! My bus is right this way!"

He leads the way away from the terminal and over to a white bus with the name and logo of a church printed on the side. There are a handful of people waiting beside it: a man in his early thirties with a very young girl and a young man with dark hair.

"These are my other passengers," Justin Law introduces. "Mifune and his daughter Angela, and this young man here is Noah."

"Nice to meet you!" the little girl named Angela chirps cheerfully. The two men nod politely but say nothing.

Justin claps his hands together, unlocking the bus doors. "Alright! Everyone aboard! Let's get this show on the road!"

Maka slides into an empty seat towards the front of the bus, shoving her little bag underneath the seat. She expects Tsubaki or even Kim to take the seat beside her, but it is Soul who flops down with a sigh. He glances at her and gives her his famous toothy grin. She finds herself blushing - blushing, of all things! - and she quickly looks down at her hands folded neatly in her lap.

The bus rumbles into life - thankfully with air conditioning - and Justin Law puts it into drive. Out the slightly streaky window, Maka watches the harbor fall away and the bus heads towards the interstate.

"Exactly how long is the drive from Florida to California?" Tsugumi asks from the seat behind them.

It's Liz Thompson, one of the only Americans, who answers. "It's, like, more than a two day drive. We're gonna be on this bus for a while."

Soul leans close and talks to Maka in a low voice. "So what do you think of these guys already on the bus?"

She looks around. The three other passengers were sitting at the very back of the bus, but they didn't seem to be together. She frowns. "The guy and his daughter seem okay, I guess. The guy is very serious. The girl's wavelength is...odd somehow."

"Odd how?" Soul presses, frowning at the girl over his shoulder. "Like, is she one of us?"

Maka shakes her head. "No, definitely not. There's something almost _magical_ about her."

Soul's frown deepens. "Think she's a witch?"

His partner chuckles a little to herself. "Really? A witch? You actually believe in those?"

His brow furrows as he realizes she's laughing, actually laughing, at him. "Hell, we exist, don't we? Why not them?"

Maka's laughter dwindles off. "I suppose, but..." She looks at the little girl again, who is clambering happily over Mifune's shoulders despite the bumpy ride. "She's not exactly what I imagined a witch to be..."

"That's true," Soul agrees.

"And besides," Maka adds. "There's nothing unusual about her dad. He's perfectly normal."

Soul shrugs. "What about the other dude?"

Maka turns her gaze to the one called Noah. "He's definitely giving off a bad vibe, but he's not one of us as far as I can tell."

"And the driver?" Soul presses.

"Oh he's one of us, sure enough," Maka answers without hesitation. "He's a death scythe."

Soul looks at her. "A death scythe?" he repeats. "You mentioned that your dad was a death scythe, too. What exactly is that?"

"To be honest I'm not entirely sure. All I know I learned from my mom and dad in passing," she admits. "From what I understand, a death scythe is a special weapon for some guy my dad always called Shinigama-sama. They're super powerful weapons."

Soul grows thoughtful for a moment.

Maka glances at him. "What's wrong Soul?"

He hesitates. "How does a weapon become this death scythe thing?"

She shrugs. "I'm sorry, but I don't really know. My dad and I never really had a good enough relationship to have those types of conversations..."

"It's cool," he tries to shrug it off, but Maka can see that he's really interested in the death scythe thing. Then he changes tact. "So this Shinigama-sama person...think he's got something to do with this so-called Death City?"

She leans back against the seat. "Could be. I don't know if I really believe in this Death City place though."

"I know what you mean," Soul agrees. "But at least we should be safe for a while at this Stein guy's place, if he's one of us."

Maka smiles. "Let's hope so."

**A little bit short, but they're at least in America now XD**

**I love how this story was originally supposed to be a one shot...ah well it's nearly over now. Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! They make my day! I'm sort of sad that this is almost over as well. Although this story hasn't gotten nearly the amount of attention that some of my other stories have gotten, it's probably one of my favorites. It's sort of been an experiment with writing styles and I really like how it all turned out. I hope you like these last few chapters!**

The bus rattles over a particularly nasty bump and Maka is startled awake. She lifts her head off Soul's shoulder and realizes that night has fallen and it's raining.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead," Soul grins at her sleepily.

Maka runs a hand through her hair, realizing her pigtails are completely askew. "How long was I asleep?" she asks, stifling a yawn as she takes down her hair.

"A few hours," Soul answers, reaching out a hand and playing with a lone lock of her hair. "You should wear your hair down more often. It's actually kind of cute."

Maka blushes again, much to her dismay, and stumbles over her words for a moment. "I-uh-that is-"

He laughs and drops his hand. "Just take the compliment already."

She turns her head down. "Thank you."

"That Justin guy says we're gonna stop at a hotel in just a bit," Soul explains, yawning and stretching. "Don't know quite how we're going to pay for rooms for all of us but I guess we'll manage somehow. Maybe this priest gives out charity."

Maka glances around the bus. "There are an awful lot of us. Let's hope we can afford this."

It isn't much longer before the priest pulls the bus into the parking lot of a motel and cuts the engine. "Alright! Everybody off!"

Maka follows Soul off the bus and the two seek out Kid. "Hey," Maka says in a low voice. "How exactly are we going to pay for the rooms here?"

"This is a cheap enough place," Kid answers, trying unsuccessfully to hide the disdain in his voice. "Sid and Nygus have graciously offered to cover us, but only until we get to California. Then we'll have to find a way to get money on our own."

The adults lead the way into the lobby and pay for the rooms, and then they split up again. Like usual, Maka ends up in the same room as Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty.

"Isn't it strange?" Tsubaki asks as they get ready for bed, changing into their pajamas and brushing their teeth. "We've been on this strange journey for so long and now we're finally almost done with it."

"Let's hope," Liz chuckles. "We've got, what? Another day and a half left of driving before we get to this guy Stein's place? Then hopefully we'll find a way to get to this Death City place."

"If it really exists," Patty adds with a little giggle.

Maka actually agrees with Patty, but she keeps her opinion to herself as she crawls into one of the beds beside Tsubaki. Liz laughs along with her little sister and turns off the light. Maka's mind is very full but she falls asleep nearly as soon as her head hits the pillow.

She's woken up by a loud knock on the door the following morning. The others stay in bed while she drags herself up and looks through the peephole. It's Mira, so Maka pulls it open.

"Hey, the bus is heading out in forty-five minutes so you girls need to get a move on," Nygus warns before moving on to wake the next room of girls.

It's not difficult to wake Tsubaki, but even with the two of them it is nearly impossible to get the Thompson sisters out of their bed. Eventually the four of them manage to get dressed and gather up all their belongings and head down to the lobby to meet up with the rest of the group.

"What on earth happened to your hair?" Jacqueline demands, using one hand to smooth down Maka's bangs. "Did you stick your finger in a light socket or something?"

"Ha ha," Maka rolls her eyes.

Sid stomps his foot impatiently. "Where is Marie? Why is she late to everything?"

"It's because she gets lost everywhere she goes," Tsugumi giggles.

"Sort of like Meme," Anya adds. Meme, standing between the two, doesn't even seem to notice the slight.

"I'm here! I'm here!" Marie comes down the stairs, her bag over her shoulder and out of breath. Then she stops suddenly and stares in dismay. "What are _you_ doing here?" she practically shrieks.

Maka, startled, turns to see the person Marie is addressing. He is a man in his early thirties wearing shorts and sandals, standing and talking with an equally startled-looking Justin Law.

"Marie?" the man says in a deep, booming voice. "Fancy seeing you here of all places!"

"Um, Miss Marie," Kim says, looking at the unfamiliar man. "Who the hell is this guy?"

Marie glowers at him, looking quite angry. "Buttataki Joe. BJ. My _ex-boyfriend_."

The man, identified as Buttataki Joe, laughs heartily. "Hey now, that was a long time ago!"

"Oh, so the two of you know each other?" the priest smiles. "BJ is going to be joining us for the rest of the journey to California."

Marie's jaw seems to hit the floor.

"Well." Soul is inexplicably at Maka's side. "The rest of the journey should be interesting, that's for sure."

Maka can't help but agree as she follows her friends out of the hotel and towards the bus. She and Soul resume their seats from yesterday, and she finds it a little surprising that BJ chooses to sit with Marie.

"I thought they were ex-lovers," Soul grumbles around lunchtime. The bus has been hurtling along the highway for hours already, and they are all snacking on vending machine food they got at the last rest stop. "So why are they looking so chummy?"

Maka turns around in her seat to observe first hand. Marie and BJ are talking and laughing together, as though they're old friends reuniting. "They do look like they're in awfully good spirits, don't they? Maybe they're going to start dating again?"

Soul snorts. "Dating is stupid."

Maka frowns. Though she's never dated anyone before, she rather thought her relationship with Soul was sort of like dating. She looks down at her hands with something like embarrassment.

Soul seems to notice but says nothing about it. Instead he leans back in his seat and says, "So far this journey is going smoothly. A little too smoothly, if you ask me."

"Hey now. Don't invite trouble," Maka warns.

The warning comes too late, however.

**Short, but necessary. I hope you all enjoy. Please review. 3**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry I haven't updated in so long. My doc manager hasn't been working quite right but I'm getting over it and updating anyway!**

The bus pulls into a rest stop so they can all stretch their legs. Maka has to pee so she scrambles over Soul and follows some of the other girls into the restroom. Thankfully there are a lot of stalls so she doesn't have to wait long.

"So what do you think this Dr. Stein will be like?" Kim asks as they wash their hands at the rows of automatic sinks. "I hope he's rich!"

Jacqueline, who is using the sink between Kim and Maka, laughs. "Is that really all you think about?"

"It's all that matters in the end, right?" Kim smiles. "I mean-"

She is interrupted by a blood-curdling scream from the courtyard outside. Maka's heart seems to stop for a moment; she is frozen in time. And then she is racing out of the restroom, Jacqueline and Kim on her heels.

When they reach the courtyard, the three of them skid to a halt. Maka's hand flies to her mouth.

There is a group gathered in the middle of the courtyard, with the priest Justin Law in the center, his arm turned into scythe much like Soul's. It is Marie who is screaming, an endless wail of agony. BJ is lying in a pool of his own blood on the grass; even Maka can tell that he's dead.

"What the hell is going on?" Maka shouts.

Soul appears at her side, fists clenched, angry. "This bastard transformed out of nowhere and kill BJ! For no reason!"

"What?" Maka can't believe it.

Calmly, as though nothing has happened, Justin Law transforms his arm from a blade back to a human arm. Marie's scream trails off as she drops to her knees at BJ's side, leaving the courtyard in a strange, eerie silence.

"What's the meaning of this?" Sid barks, furious. The human onlookers are terribly frightened; someone is calling the police to report a weapon on the rampage.

The priest turns calmly to face him, a strange little smile on his face. "He was getting in the way of my job. I had to get rid of him, you see."

Mira grinds her teeth, hands balling into fists. "This guy is insane, Sid. He's a monster! We've got to do something!"

"Right," Sid nods grimly. Glancing over his shoulder at the frightened children from Parnevik Hall, he says, "Do any of you know how to fight?"

"We can do it!" Soul says without hesitation, and he is in Maka's hands as a scythe.

The priest chuckles to himself. "I don't think you quite know what you're up against. I'm the youngest person to achieve the role of death scythe, didn't you know? I'm also the only weapon who doesn't need a meister. Still want to try me out?"

"Hey, don't forget about me!" Blackstar shouts. "I'll be the one to defeat you! And then _I'll_ become the most famous meister in the world!"

The others respond with similar enthusiasm, transforming into their weapon form and getting ready to fight.

Justin Law stops smiling. "Well, now. These odds make it a bit more interesting, don't they? Let's see where this goes."

Maka can't remember ever being quite so angry. Her gloved hands tighten around Soul's handle. Red spots swim before her eyes as she launches herself at the priest with a wild cry. She swings the blade with all her might; she seems to be so much stronger when her soul is connected with her partner's. The priest transforms his arm and the blades clang together in a flash of sparks. Maka is flung backwards into the ground with a cry.

"Maka!" Soul's voice sounds in her hands, angry and frustrating. "Don't do anything reckless, dammit!"

She frowns as she picks herself off the ground, feeling the pain in every muscle. She doesn't want to admit it, but this guy is strong. With a cry she follows the others back into battle.

It's lucky for Maka and her group that there are twenty of them against just one, even if he is a death scythe. It's Blackstar, of all people, who makes the final blow with Tsubaki. Justin Law stumbles back with an unreadable expression, bleeding freely from a wound in his chest. He throws one last punch, which rips through Mifune's body like a blade, and then he is gone, leaving them alone in the devastated clearing.

Maka suddenly becomes aware of their surroundings. The humans who have run for cover are peeking through windows and open doorways, surveying the damage. They all look horrified, terrified. There are sirens in the distance; the police are on their way.

"Shit," Soul grumbles, suddenly no longer a scythe in her hands but a boy standing beside her. "Those cops will be here any second! We need to get the hell out of here!"

"_Mifune_!" Angela is wailing, clutching the body of her father. "_Mifune_!"

Sid looks around. "Quick! Everyone back on the bus! Now!"

It takes both Kim and Tsugumi to drag the wailing Angela away from Mifune's body, but somehow they all manage to get back on the bus, where Mira does a quick head count.

"That Noah guy is missing," she reports grimly.

Ox grimaces. "I saw him run off with that priest. I think he was working with him this whole time."

"Screw it, we're out of here!" Sid announces, and he throws the bus into drive. The wheels screech as they peel out of the rest station, nearly taking out an RV as they barrel back onto the interstate.

Meme is pressed up against the back window, watching the flashing red lights grow ever closer. "The police are closing in!" she shouts over the din of people panicking and Angela wailing.

"Here, leave it to us," Kim says confidently, pushing Meme out of the way. She kicks open the back door, ignoring the fact that the bus is hurtling down the interstate at a hundred miles an hour. "Jackie! Transform!"

"Got it!" Jackie seems to shimmer and then she is in Kim's hands. Her weapon form is a lamp, but she looks more like a flame-thrower to Maka. Kim holds up her weapon and points it at the army of police cruisers coming up behind them.

"Watch out!" Tsugumi cries. "Don't hit any normal people!"

"She's right." Marie seems to have stopped crying. "We don't need people to think we're any worse than they already do!"

Kim grins fiercely. "I got this."

When Jackie goes off, it's more like a bazooka than a flame thrower, Maka decides. There is a huge explosion and the police cruisers have to slam on their brakes and swerve. There are honking horns and screeching tires. When the smoke clears, there is a giant crater in the asphalt and the police are stuck on one side while the church bus hurtles along down the other.

"We're good for now!" Kim announces, and Jackie transforms back into her human form. "But they'll be back! We need to get where we're going and fast!"

Sid grimaces and presses even harder on the gas pedal.

**Only one chapter left. I hope you all are enjoying this story as much as I am XD**


	10. Chapter 10

**Here's the last chapter! I hope you enjoy!**

They know that they aren't safe to stop at a hotel anymore, so they press on through the night. The adults take turns driving and everyone tries to sleep as best they can on the bumpy bus.

"What are we going to do about Angela?" Maka asks. She's sitting on the back of one of the seats talking with Soul and Kid as the scenery flashes by outside the windows.

Kid frowns. "I'm not really sure. She's told Tsugumi that she's a witch."

Soul shoots a triumphant look at Maka as if to say I-told-you-so, but he wisely chooses not to voice that.

"Aren't witches supposed to be the enemy of our kind? Like in traditional lore and stuff?" Maka asks, frowning.

Kid nods. "But she's young enough that her destructive tendencies haven't started coming out yet. If only there was a way we could train her to be good instead of evil, we might be able to take her with us..."

"Leave it to me!" Kim is suddenly there, sounding more serious and earnest than Maka has ever heard her.

Maka frowns. "Kim? What's going on?"

The pink-haired girl looks away for a moment. "I'm both a meister and a witch."

"You're a witch?" Soul exclaims incredulously.

Kim gets a little flustered. "I am, but I have healing magic instead of destructive magic! I've always been an outcast among witches. But if you let me, I can train Angela to be a good witch, and use her magic positively instead of negatively!"

Soul, Kid, and Maka exchange a look. "Fine," Kid finally agrees. "But we'll be keeping a close eye on her, and you too. We don't need any more surprises here."

Kim bows her head. "I understand. I'll do my best."

The bus rattles on throughout the night, and they finally pull up to Stein's laboratory as the first pink tinges are staining the sky. The lab is very strange looking, Maka thinks. It's covered in stitching, like it was taken apart and sewn back together haphazardly. The building looks a little crooked, as well. It creeps Maka out, though she can't say why.

They are all quiet as they disembark, even Angela, who is nearly asleep in Tsubaki's arms. It is strange to think that, after all they have gone through, they are nearing the end of their journey.

The door opens as they near the entrance and a man comes out. He creeps Maka out even more than the laboratory. He, like his lab, seems to have been dissected and sewn back together. Even his clothes have the strange stitching underneath his lab coat.

"Marie?" he says, flicking the ashes from his cigarette aside. "What on earth are you doing here? And who are all these people?" He looks through his glasses at the assembled group, mostly children.

Marie bows her head, her blond hair tumbling over her shoulder. "I need your help, Stein. It's sort of important."

Stein hesitates. "You're the group of weapons and meisters that's been on the news since yesterday, aren't you?"

Marie nods miserably. "I know it's been forever since we've dated, but we need help. We need a safe haven."

Stein suddenly grins. "You want me to take you to Death City, don't you?"

She nods again.

Maka feels her hopes raise. "So it really exists? You've been there?"

Stein looks at her long and hard. "You look awfully familiar, girl. What's your name?"

"Maka Albarn, Sir," she answers immediately.

His grin grows even wider. "Albarn, you say? Ah, so you're Spirit's daughter."

Maka frowns. "You know my father, Sir?"

"I'll say," Stein nods. "He used to be my partner way back in the day. Until that Kami stole him away from me. She's your mother?"

Maka nods, unsure of how to process this information.

"She was an excellent meister. Nothing compared to me, of course," Stein grins. "But yes, Death City does exist. I'm surprised you didn't know that. Both your mother and father attended school there."

"There's a school?" Ox says excitedly. "In Death City?"

"Why, yes. Of course. It's called the Death Weapon Meister Academy, or the DWMA for short," Stein explains. "It's a school that teaches weapons and meisters about their abilities and how to use them for the greater good. You'd all learn quite a lot there, I'm sure. Please, come inside. You all look exhausted."

Soul glances at Maka as they gather their belongings from the bus and follow Stein into the stitched-up laboratory. "You okay?" he asks. "You didn't know any of that stuff about your parents, did you?"

"No," Maka shakes her head, still frowning. "I mean, I guess I never really asked them about it, but it's strange to think they had these secret lives."

Soul takes her hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry. You and I, we're going to learn how to be the best weapon and meister pair. You'll make me a death scythe and we'll go find your parents and bust them out of whatever prison they're in."

Maka smiles and allows his fingers to close around hers. "Thanks, Soul."

The group of fugitives hides out at Stein's laboratory for the following week, resting up and gathering supplies for the journey. They can't abandon the church bus - as it's the only vehicle large enough to transport them all - so they paint it yellow and try to make it look like a normal school bus.

Eventually, however, the time comes to leave the safety of Stein's laboratory and they load back onto the bus.

"So where exactly is this Death City place?" Maka asks, leaning over the back of the seat to address Dr. Stein.

"Nevada, of course," Stein answers, blowing smoke out of the corner of his mouth. Even in the bus, he is a chain smoker. "It's in the middle of the Nevada desert."

Maka sits back in her seat, frowning. "The desert, eh? Doesn't sound like a very nice city to me."

"Don't judge. You haven't even seen it yet," Soul grins.

"Hmph." Maka crosses her arms. She's so impatient. She can't wait to get to this city and it's protection.

The ride from California to Nevada takes several hours, and they spend the last two driving through the scorching desert. Maka is grateful the bus has air conditioning.

"Hey, wake up kiddos," Stein calls from behind the wheel. "You're about to get your first look at Death City."

Maka and Soul scramble to press their faces against the dirty window, their noses squashed and their shoulders pressed tightly together. As she squints though the desert dust, Maka can just make out something in the distance and, as she watches it grows larger and larger until she can tell that it is a busting metropolis of strangely-shaped buildings.

"Dr. Stein?" she calls, still squinting. "What is that strange thing surrounding the city? It looks like some sort of force field!"

Stein smiles shortly. "That's Shinigama-sama's soul. It's what protects Death City and keeps it secret."

Maka feels her heart stop. "His soul is that big? It's enormous! What kind of person is this Shinigama-sama anyway?"

"Can't you tell from the name?" Stein asks, tipping ashes out the open window. "He's the Grim Reaper."

Maka falls silent, shocked into silence. In fact, the entire bus seems to have grown silent as it hurtles towards the ever-growing city.

Her heart is pounding as the bus screeches to a top just outside the barrier. Stein puts it in park and turns to look at his passengers. "This is it. The bus won't pass through the barrier, so we'll have to go on foot now."

Even Angela is silent as they gather their belongings and walk single-file off the bus. The sun is relentless overhead, and the wind whips sand against their faces and necks. They pause just outside the barrier. It's like a visible wall, tinged slightly blue. They line up shoulder-to-shoulder, too anxious to take the first step.

Soul takes Maka's hand, linking their fingers together. "You ready to do this?" he asks, grinning.

She smiles back. With Soul by her side, she can do anything, she knows. "Yep!" And together they step through the barrier into Death City.

**The End!**


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